Magazine fob weft-replenishing- looms



W. L. BARRELL. MAGAZINE FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION. HLED JAN. 30, I915- Patented Nov. 11

4 SHEETS$HEET fizz/e71;

W. L. BARRELL. MAGAZINE FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, I9l5.

Patented N 0v. IL 1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

java 76 7- W. L. BARRELL. MAGAZINE FOR WEFTREPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1915- Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, I915- a w Z a m m? V. mm 01 n7 4 17 m on C w M mm 1w R N Z ciirceaxsea.

WILLIAM L. BARRELL, OF =LAWRENCE,'MA SSACHUSETTS MAGAZINE FOR WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Application filed January 30, 1915. Serial No. 5,221.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. BARRELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State'of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Maga-. zines for Weft-Replenishing Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to magazines forweft-replenishing looms, and is illustrated by the accompanying drawings as applied to a weft-replenishing loom such as that shown and described in my copending application, Serial No, 840,206, filed May 22, 1914. In the said copending application the weft is replenished by filled bobbins which are held in reserve by a rotary magazine generally known as the Northrop magazine. I have found that the Northrop magazine is not entirely satisfactory whenweaving relatively coarse fabrics, such as cotton duck and canvas. The reason is that, when weaving the coarser fabrics, the filling must be replen-- ished with greater frequency than when weaving the finer fabrics, and-that, because of the limited number of filled bobbins which the Northrop magazine is capable of holding, the reserve supply of filling is eX- hausted in a relatively short time. In order to keep the looms running, it is necessary for an attendant to refill the Northrop magazines so often that one attendant cannot care for more than eight or ten looms so equipped.

It would not be feasible to increase the size of a Northrop magazine to offset the greater frequency of replenishing operations called for by coarser fabrics, because this would greatly increase the weight of the movin parts. Furthermore, the Northrop magaz ne must be mounted upon the breast beam of the loom, and to increase its capacity would necessitate increasing its diameter so much that it would. project to an *un.-

desirable extent into the alleysbetween' therows of looms in a weaving room.

My present invention provides a bobbin. magazine which. may be -mounted in any suitable position behindthe breast beam of the loomjand which may have a capacity of from fiveto ten times as-much, as the ca-' pacity of the Northrop magazine, without projecting into the alleys or other spaces where the attendants' are required tov pass.

My improved magazine embodies some new principles of operation, all of which are hereinafter described in detail,

Of the accompanying drawings, which' illustrate the present invention:

Figure 1 represents an end elevation of the left-hand end of a weft-replenshing loom equipped with my improved bobbin magazine and shuttle-loading mechanism.

Fig. 2 represents, on a larger scale, an elevation of a portion of such magazine from the same point of view.

Fig. 3 represents an elevation, somewhat conventional in form, of the operating connections by which the filled bobbins are placed into the empty shuttle.

Fig. 4 represents a top plan view including the shuttle-loading mechanism and a portlon of the bobbin magazine.

Fig, 5 represents a vertical section through i thestructure intersected by line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 represents a vertical section through the structure intersected by line 66 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 661 (Sheet 2) is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing a modification.

Fig. 7 represents an elevation, from the same point of view as Fig. 1, of the delivery end of a chute through which the weftend carriers travel, I

Fig. 8 represents a rear elevation, partly in section, of the structure represented in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 represents a horizontal section, on I a larger scale, throu h the structure intersected by. line 99 0 Fig. 7

F1g. 10 represents a vertical section through the structure intersected by line 10 10 of Fig. 7.

Fig, 11 represents a vertical section through the structure intersected by line l1- 11 of Fig. 4. y

Fig. 12 represents a'section through the structure intersected by line12-.12 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 13 represents an end elevation of one Pf the weft-endcarriers.

Fig. .14 represents a vertical} through such carrier.

Fig .15 is a diagrammatic view representing conventionally, in plan, the lay and breast beam-of'a. loom, the woven fabric, the two interchanging shuttles, the several weft ends, and two thread cutters.

section The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

It may be well to state briefly some of the characteristic features of the loom before proceeding to a detailed description of the bobbin magazine. The loom, as hereinbefore stated, is of the type shown and described in my copending application, Serial No. 841,206. Two shuttles are used alternately, and one of them is always held in reserve while the other one is operated. The reserve shuttle is supported outside the shuttle box of the lay, and while so supported it is loaded with a filled bobbin by suitable automatic loading mechanism. Whenever new filling is required, theweaving mechanism is automatically stopped and shuttlechanging mechanism is automatically brought into operation to interchange the reserve shuttle and the spent shuttle,the weaving mechanism and shuttle-changing mechanism operating alternately, and each remaining at rest while the other is operating.'

The bobbin magazine and shuttle-loading mechanism now about to be described are arranged and operated to place a filled bobbin in the spent shuttle which is supported outside the shuttle box of the lay.

The filled bobbins are stored in a magazine 20, such bobbins being shown in the magazine by Figs. 6 and 12 and being indicated by the reference letter a. The weft ends a of the several bobbins are carried respectively by carriers 5, such carriers being likewise stored in the magazine 20 and being fed therefrom so that they may roll toward the shuttle-loading mechanism as the bobbins roll in the same direction. The magazine 20 is divided by partitions 21 to form separate chutes, and the filled bobbins a are stacked one upon another in columns in such chutes. The chutes are all open at the top so that the magazine may be loaded by dropping the bobbins and weft-hand carriers into them from the top. The magazine may have any desired capacity, depending upon the number of chutes and upon the depth of such chutes. The magazine as shown by Fig. 1 has ten chutes and has capacity of one hundred bobbins, but may be made larger if desired. The bobbins and weftend carriers are separated from each other, while in the magazine, by strips 22, said strips forming chutes for the weft-end carriers apart from the chutes in which the bobbins are stacked. Each chute for the weft-end carriers comprises two of the strips 22, such strips being sufficiently separated from each other, as shown by Fig. 4, to provide channels 23 through which the weft ends a may pass.

The bottom bobbins and weft-end carriers of the several stacks contained in the magazine rest upon the bottom wall or floor 24 of the magazine. This floor is inclined to cause the bobbins and weft-end holders to gravitate toward the loading mechanism hereinafter described. The magazine is provided with suitable let-off mechanism which holds back the bobbins and weft-end carriers until those toward the front of the magazine have passed from their respective chutes, those from the foremost chutes being taken first, and those from the succeed ing chutes being taken in regular order. For this purpose the magazine is provided with a series of rockshafts 25, one for each column of bobbins excepting the foremost column. Each rockshaft carries two bobbin-engaging fingers 26, and one finger 27 arranged to engage the lowest weft-end car- Her 5 of the corresponding column. These fingers 26 and 27 project upwardly through suitable openings in the bottom 24: of the magazlne, and their upper ends stand in front of the lowest bobbin and weft-end carrier, as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 12. Each rockshaft is initially latched in locking position to hold the bobbins and weftend carriers from moving along the bottom of the magazine. For this purpose each rockshaft is provided with a latching finger 28, and such latching finger is arranged to coact with a latch 29. The several latches are in the form of levers, and their fulcrum pins are indicated at 30. The upper end 31 of each latch registers with the column of weft-end carriers next in advance of those so locked, and the side of the magazine has suitable openings 32 through which the ends 31 may extend to engage a weft-end carrier as shown by Fig. 12. The bobbins and their respective weft-end carriers pass from the magazine at the lower right-hand corner, with reference to Fig. 1, and are taken first from the right hand column. The latch 29, which controls the second column, is in turn controlled by the weft-end carriers of the first column, in such manner that when the top weft-end carrier and the corresponding bobbin of the first column have descended to the bottom of the magazine, the first latch 29 will be released with the result of releasing the second column of bobbins and weft-end carriers. The upper end of each latch is arranged to coact with the second weft-end carrier from the bottom of each column, and, consequently, when the top weft-end carrier of each column reaches the bottom of the magazine, the latch is left without any means to keep it in latching position. Each latch is provided with a spring 33 whereby it is moved to'release the finger 28 when its upper end 31 is released as aforesaid. Each rockshaft upon being released by its latch 29, is turned by a spring 34 so as to remove the fingers 26 and 27 from the path of the bobbin and Weft-end holder behind them. Fig. 2 shows one rockshaft 25 (at the right) which has been turned to release the bobbins and weft-end carriers, the two other rockshafts being still' locked in retaining position.

Figs. 13 and 14 show the structural details of the weft-end carrier. The carrier is substantially cylindric in form, although its thickness is slightly reduced from the center toward the periphery in order to facilitate its rolling movement through the curved chute 35 which conducts it from the magazine to the shuttle-loadingmechanism. A k'erf d is formed in the carrier to receive the weft-end a. The weft end is fastened to the carrier by the head d of a shank or plunger (i The carrier is provided with a socket d in which a helical compression spring d is arranged. This spring acts upon a nut 03 which is carried by the shank of the plunger, with the effect of drawing the head d against the side ofthecarrier. The weft end is fastened by Winding it around the shank of d between the head d and the carrier, the head being slightly beveled at its periphery to facilitate the entrance of the weft end. The weft end, when drawn between the head d and the body of the carrier, is securely held by the clamping action of the plunger.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 6, the. bobbins, after passing out of the magazine, roll upon tracks 36, said tracks being extensions of bars 37 which appear in Fig. 12 as the supports for the bottom of the magazine. Fig. 1 shows-a bracket 38 for supporting the magazine, said bracket being afiixed to the frame 39 of the loom. Referring again to Figs. 4 and 6, a guard for the bobbins is indicated at 40. This guard is connected to the magazine by hinges 41 so that its forward or lower end maybe lifted to uncover the bobbins which are upon the tracks 36. One function of the guard is to prevent the bobbins on said track from piling up one upon another, and another function is to guide the bobbins by their ends so as to keep them in line and in register with the shuttleloading mechanism toward which they roll. For the latter purpose the guard is provided with side flanges or wings 42. See. Fig. 4.

The bobbins in traversing the tracks 36 are controlled by an escapement device that releases them one at a time as required by the I weft-replenishing operations of the loom. As shown by Figs. 4 and 6, the bobbin indicated at a (the reference character a in this instance being used especially to distinguish this bobbin from all the other bobbins on account of its position) is held in check by a stop 43. This stop is carried by an arm 44, and said arm is affixed' to a rockshaft 45. When it is necessary to re-, lease the bobbin @1 9, as will be'und'erstood' after further explanation, the rockshaft 45 is turned tolower the stop 43 below the bottom of the bobbin, and simultaneously with such action another stop, comprising tWo members, is raised into the path of, the bobbin-in advance of the stop, 43 so as to catch the bobbin which was formerly at a and stop it, momentarily, 'at the position indicated by dotted circle a Circle a represents the outline of the bobbin at the position last described. The stop members which arrest the bobbin at a are indicated at 46 and 47 respectively. These stops are aflixed to a rockshaft 48. The bobbinengaging position of stop member 46 is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The rockshafts 45 and 48 are actuated in unison to cause the stops 46 and 47 to rise. while the stop 43 is descending, and to thereafter cause the first-named stops to descend while the latter is rising. The result of such operation is to enable the bobbin at a to advance to the position indicated at a and to enable all the bobbins which are held back by a? to advance to an equal extent. The stop members 46 and 47 are arranged in advance of the stop 43 a distance substantially equal to the diameterof a bobbin, so that when the bobbins are arrested by the stops 46 and 47 the tangential portions of bobbins a and a will be in register with stop 43. Upon subsequently restoring the several stops to their initial positions, stop 43 enters between the bobbins at a and a to restrain all those behind the one at 01 and when the stop members 46 and 47 descend below 'the tracks 36, the. bobbin at a is released so that it may roll until it reaches a fixed stop 49. c

A bobbin occupying the last-named position is indicated at a, this bein the loading position of the bobbin. Whi e the bobbin is in loading position it is engaged by' a loader 50 which drives it downwardly into the spent shuttle w. The bobbin which is in loading position is supported by suitable yielding. means capable of being displaced for the purpose of enabling the bobbin to descend under the actionof the loader. The

supporting means for this purpose comprises fingers 51, both of which are aflixed to a rockshaft 52. The bearin s for the rockshaft' are afforded by the ower ends of the tracks 36. A spring 53 (Fi 4) norpurposes, similar to the corresponding shuttle support shown and described in my co-- pending application hereinbefore mentioned, excepting as to details hereinafter specified. The loader 50 and the mechanism for actuatingit are also similar to the corresponding mechanism 'shown'and descrlbe'd j in the said copending' application, ,excepting as to details hereinafter'specified. The p support 54 is mounted upon and aflixed to the breast beam of the loom and projects laterally from the end of the breast beam. For the sake or identifying the breast beam,

its bottom surface is indicated by dottedbin, is held inreserve until a change of.

shuttles is required to replenish the weft carried by the lay.

Before describing the shuttle-changing mechanism, 1 will describe the mechanism by which the weft-end carriers 5 are discharged from the chute 85 in keeping with the use of the bobbins. As shown by Fig. 4, the chute 35 for the weft end carriers diverges from the path followed by the bobbins, the purpose being to conduct the weftend carriers to a discharging point beyond the outer end of the shuttle support 54. The chute 85 has an open throat or channel 56 extending throughout its length through which the weft end a may pass.

, This throat or channel answers the same purpose as the throats or channels 23 in the magazine. The carriers 1) which are not restrained in the magazine by the fingers 27 are free to roll through the chute 35 until they reach an escapement device near the discharge end of the chute. This escapement device is shown in detail by Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive. It is indicated as a whole at 57 and has two pairs of carrier-engaging fingers, those of one pair being. indicated at 58 and those of the other pair at 59. The escapement device is pivotally mounted upon pivot pins which are set into the chute 35. The chute has suitable openings 58 arranged to receive the fingers 58, and similar openings 59' arranged to receive the fingers 59.. The normal position of the escapement device is that shown by Fig. 8 and by full lines in Fig. 10. In its normal position the fingers 58 extend into the chute sufficiently to engage the lowest weft-end carrier in the chute and thus restrain the entire series of carriers which are otherwise free to roll or drop, as the case may be. The escapement member 57 is actuated simultaneously with the transfer of a filled bobbin from loading position at a to theposition indicated at 01. the movement of the escapement member 57 at such time causing the fingers 59 to enter between thelowest carrier b and the second carrierresting thereon, the fingers 58 at the same time being retracted from the path of the lowest carrier so that the latter may drop from the chute into any suitable receptacle provided to receive it. As shown by Fig. 7, the fingers 59 are separated from each other sufficiently to enable them to enter between the contiguous carriers as stated. I have shown, for actuating the escapement member 57, a mechanism which receives its motion from the loader 50 through the medium of the bobbin-supporting fingers 51, the bobbin which is in loading position at a being also utilized to transmit motion from the loader to the escapement member. For this'purpose the escapement member 57 is provided with an arm 61, and such arm is connected by a link 62 to an arm 63 affixed to and carried by rockshaft 52. The rockshaft has a bearing in a boss 64 formed upon the chute 35. As the bobbin at a is fOlLQd downwardly under the action of the loader, it acts upon the fingers 51 to turn the rockshaft 52, and the rockshaft transmits such motion through the link 62 to escapement member 57, the let-off member being thus moved from the full line position (Fig. 10) to thedotted line position. The

return movement of the escapement member is caused by the returning-spring 53 (Fig. 4).

The loader 50 is substantially like the Well-known loader which is used in conjunction with the Northrop bobbin-magazine. It is arranged to engage the base or large end of the bobbin, andit carries a rod 65 one end of which is bent downwardly, as indicated at 66 (Fig. 11) to engage the small end of the bobbin. The loader is arranged to rock upon a rod 67. This rod is supported by a bracket 68 (Fig. 4) formed upon the shuttle support 54. The loader is normally raised by a helical torsion spring 69, one end of which is hooked under the loader and the other end of which is hooked into a collar 70 affixedto the rod 67. The loader has an arm 71 to which one end of a tension spring 72 is attached. The other end of spring 72 is attached to a pin 73 carried by an arm 74. The arm 74 is arranged to swing upon the rod 67 and has a finger 75 arranged to engagethe under side of arm 71. The arm 74 is actuated by the lay, as hereinafter described, through the medium of a bar 76, the forward end of said bar being pivotally connected to arm 74 by the pin 73. When the bar 76 is moved forward, motion is transmitted by the spring 72 to the arm 71, and the loader is thus actuated to depress the bobbin at a" into the shuttle w. The shuttle for a loom of this type has a bobbin-receiving chamber 77 (Fig. 4) which is open at the top and bottom of the shuttle, to enable the filled bobbin to enter at the top and to enable the spent bobbin to be discharged through the bottom, in accordance with the well-known practice in the so-called Northrop loom. A bobbin-gripping device 78 is carried by the shuttle in the chamber 77, this device being well-known in shuttles as used by the Northrop loom.

Suitable connections, shown by Figs. 3 and 4, are provided for transmitting motion from the loader 50 to actuate the rockshafts 45 and 48, which control the feeding of the bobbins to loading position. For this purpose the rockshafts 45 and 48 are provided with arms 77 and 78 respectively. These arms are connected by links 79 and 80 to arms 81 and 82 formed upon a three-armed lever, the third arm of such lever being indicated at 83. The fulcrum pin of this lever is indicated at 84, said pin being supported by a bracket formed upon the shuttle support 54. The rod 65 which is carried by the loader 50 is extended to engage the under side of arm 83 to hold the bobbin stop 43 normally in the path of the bobbins. When the loader descends to force a filled bobbin into the spent shuttle, the rod 65 releases the arm 83, and the bobbin-stops 43, 46 and 47 are thus enabled to respond to the force of a spring 85 (Fig. 4). This spring is arranged to move the stops 46 and 47 into the path of the bobbins and to retract the stop 43 from the path of the bobbin.- The link and lever connections between the rockshafts 45 and 48, as shown by Fig. 3, cause the rockshafts to turn in unison, although they turn in opposite directions in every case. When the loader 50 is raised by its returning-spring 69, the rod 65 lifts the arm 83 from the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 tothe position shown by solid lines, such movement of the arm 83 restoring the stop members 43, 46 and 47 to the positions shown by 6.

The modification shown by Fig. 6 is another form of bobbin-feeding mechanism,

and does away with the stops 43, 46 and 47, rockshafts 45 and 48, three-armed lever 81, 82, 83, and the operatin connections between said lever and rocksha s. According to the modification shown by Fig. 6, the bobbins, rolling down the tracks 36, are restrained by the fixed stop 49, the foremost bobbin at a being supported in loading position by yielding supports 51 substantially the same as those hereinbefore described. The bobbins are not sepaTatedandreleased one by one prior to coacting with the sto 49, but 'are'permitted to lie against each ot er in an uninterrupted series. I

When the loader 50 is depressed to transfer-a bobbin from a to the shuttle 02, the

it holds back said bobbin and those behind the latter until the loader returns to its upper position, whereupon the remaining bobbins, being free to gravitate, roll until the foremost one engages the fixed stop 49. The discharge of the weft-end carriers is not necessarily affected by this modification, and the rocksha-ft 52 may be moved as hereinbefore explained to transmit motion to the discharging plate 57.

The shuttle-changing mechanism as shown by Fig. 1 is substantially the same as that shown in my copending application 'aforesaid, but it will be Well to describe the same briefly in the present application to lay the foundation for an explanation as to how the weft-end carriers 6 are used in the present instance to remove the waste ends of thread.

The following elements are more fully described and illustrated in my said copending application :The lay 86, movable shuttle-box front 87, shuttle ejector 88, shuttle receiver 89, and shuttle carrier 90. Whenever new filling is required, suitable clutch mechanism (not shown) disconnects the power from the weaving mechanism so that the lay stops at or near the position illustrated, other clutch mechanism (not shown) being automatically brought into operation to connect the power to the shuttle-changing mechanism, of which the re-- ceiver 89 and carrier 90.are predominating elements. When the lay has come to rest, 'the shuttle-box front 87 rises to release the spent shuttle m which is then in the shuttle box. The ejector 88 then pushes the shuttle w from the lay to the receiver 89, and the receiver rises to lift the spent shuttle so as to clear a path for the reserveshuttle 02. While these operations are being performed the shuttle carrier 90 moves toward the lay, thus picking up the reserve shuttle w and carrying the same to the position in which the shuttle m is shown. The reserve shuttle is threaded while being transferred from the support 54 to the lay, the weft-end running from the bobbin in the shuttle being held by the weft-end carrier indicated at b in Figs.

11 and 12. As shown by Fig. 11, this weft end lies upon the top of the shuttle, and 1s caused to be drawn into the throat m of the shuttle in consequence of the transferr ng movement of the shuttle, such transferring movement involving a slight rise of the shuttle in addition to the'movement toward the rear of the loom. While the carrier 90 is adjacent the lay, the receiver 89 descends to deposit the spent shuttle upon the carrier, and the carrier is thereupon returned to the position shown to transfer the spent shuttle to the position in which the reserve shuttle is shown. The shuttles wand w being thus interchanged, the shuttle-box front 87 is returned to the position shown, and the weaving mechanism is in readiness for further operation. The two clutch mechanisms hereinbefore mentioned are then automatically adjusted to disconnect the power from the shuttle-changing mechanism and to connect the power to the weaving mechanism, and the loom resumes weaving, with the new shuttle.

'During the operation of the shuttlechanging mechanisn'i, an arm 91 is actuated to lift the rear end of the bar 76 intothe path of a notched striker 92 which is carried by one of the swords 93. Bar 76 upon being so raised is caught and held by a latch 9%, said latch being mounted upon a fulcrum pin 95 and acting to support the bar 76 through the medium of a pin 96 carried by the bar. Upon the first beating-up stroke of the lay after a change of shuttles, the striker 92 strikes the rear end of the bar 76 and thus moves said bar forwardly to actuate the loader 50 as hereinbefore described. in the course of so actuating the loader the pin 96 is carried beyond the latch 9% so that the rear end of the bar 76 i ay drop to the position shown when the lay next moves toward the rear of the loom.

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic plan view which illustrates in what manner the several weft ends are ared for. The woven cloth is indicated at c, and the warp members are indicated at to. For convenience, the warp and weft members are spaced apart to an ab normal extent to facilitate an understanding of the conditions which exist. The positions occupied by the shuttles m and w correspond respectively to the positions shown by Figs. 6 and 1. A filled bobbin is indicated at a as having been placed in the reserve shuttle in accordance with Fig. 6, and a spent bobbin, indicated at a is represented as having been discharged from shut; tle w by bobbin Bobbin a may beassumed to be resting upon the floor or in a suitable receptacle placed on the floor for its reception.

Shuttle w is represented as having made one round trip across the lay after the last interchange of shuttles, the thread a coming from the bobbin a in said shuttle being shown as having been shot through the shed twice, its end a being still held by the weftend carrier 6 Carrier 5 and bobbin a are the ones which were originally mated when they were contained in the magazine :20. The carrier 6 as shown by Fig. 15, is in front of the carrier 5 although, as a matter of fact, it would be directly under and concealed by carrier 6*. Carrier 6 is shown in front of carrier Z2 in the present instance merely to avoid possible confusion and misunderstanding. Carrier Z2 is the mate to bobbin a which is in the reserve shuttle. The actual positions of carriers 6 and b are shown by Fig. 11; and in the latter figure the weft and carriers indicated at L and b are the mates to the bobbins which occupy the positions indicated at a and a in Fig. 6.

Referring again to Fig. 15, the weft-end carrier 5 is the one which was originally mated with bobbin a. This bobbin, when in operation, was attached to the weft end a, and the latter was cut by a cutter 9? hereinafter described, the cutting operation having been performed between the time when the spent shuttle carrying such bobbin was deposited upon the loading support 5 1- and the time when the spent bobbin was discharged from such shuttle by the incom ing filled bobbin (0. The weft end a running to the carrier Z) was originally connected with the thread on the bobbin (4, but while such bobbin was passing back and forth through the shed, the weft end was cut from the fabric by a temple thread-cutter 98. Consequently, when the bobbin a was discharged from the spent shuttle, its mate, the carrier 5, was discharged at the same time to remove the weft end (1 which presumably hung after having been out by the temple thread-cutter 98.

Following now the results which will eventually take place in connection with the now operating shuttle w, the weft ends a and a will in time be cut by the temple thread cutter 98. Thread (0 having already been cut by the cutter 97, will have nothing to support it and will drop; but weft end a, being still connected to the bottom carrier 6 in the chute 85, will hang until the next subsequent loading operation. Before the carrier 5 shall have been discharged, the shuttles will again have been interchanged, with the result of carrying the weft end (17 to the position now occupied by the previous corresponding weft end a and a will have been cut by the cutter 97 before the bobbin a is discharged. The discharge of bobbin a will be accompanied by the discharge of the corresponding carrier 5 and the discharge of the latter will result in the removal of the weft end a which in the meantime will have been cut by temple thread-cutter 98.

The cutter 97 is shown in detail by Figs. 4 and 5. Ttcomprises two shearing blades which are connected by a resilient spring shank 99, the shank normally holding the blades open to receive the thread. This clitter is mounted in a casing 100, and the casing is affixed to a bracket 101 formed upon the shuttle support 54. The upper blade of the cutter remains stationary against the bottom surface of an abutment 102 which in the present instance is a portion of the shuttle support. The lower blade of the cutter is normally depressed by the spring action of the shank 99, but, as shown by Fig. 5, the lower blade is raised, as when cutting, this being the position occupied by the lower tle upon the support 54, the carrier engages and depresses an arm 103. This arm is afiixed to a rockshaft 104 whosebearing is afforded by the bracket 101. A helical torsion spring 105 normally raises the arm 103. Cutting motion is transmitted from arm 103 by a helical torsion spring 106, one end of said spring being engaged with arm 103 and the other end being engaged with a twoarmed lever 107 loosely mounted upon the The long arm (Fig. 5) of lever blade of the cutter to effect the cutting of the thread, such action taking place, as hereinbefore stated, immediately after the deposit of the spent shuttle upon the support 54 and before the loading movement of the loader 50. The arm 103 has an extension 108 which is arranged to rise behind the spent shuttle and confine the latter in loading position upon the support 54. v

No detailed description of the temple thread-cutter 98 is necessary. It will be suflicient to state that any suitable temple thread-cutter will answer the purpose; and

it is well known that a temple thread-cutter is kept continuously in operation so long as the weaving mechanism operates, and that the weft ends which are to be cut by it will be so cut as soon as the fabric has advanced.

of the cutter.

I claim 1. The combination with shuttle-supporting means, of bobbin-supporting means, a

weft-end carrier, means arranged to support said carrier, means arranged to transfer a bobbin from said bobbin-supporting means to a shuttle on said shuttle-supporting means, and means arranged to be actuated by the moving bobbin to discharge said weft-end carrier.

2. The combination with shuttle-support-' ing means, of movable bobbin-supporting means, a weft-end carrier, means arranged to support said weft-end carrier, means arranged to transfer a bobbin from said bobbinsupporting means to a shuttle on said shuttle-suppolrting means,saidbobbin-supporting means being arraniged to be moved by such transferring of the bobbin, and means arranged to be actuated by said bobbin-supporting means to discharge said weft-end carrier.

3. The combination with a loom having a shuttle-box, of means arranged to interchange a spent shuttle in said shuttle-box and a spare shuttle, a weft-end carrier for the weft-end of the spent shuttle, means arranged to support said carrier, means arranged to insert a full bobbin into the spent shuttle outside said shuttle-box, and thereby discharge the spent bobbin from such shuttle, and means arranged to be operated by said inserting means to discharge said weftend carrier. 4

4. The combination with a loom having a shuttle-box, of means arranged to support a spare shuttle, means arranged to interchange a shuttle in said shuttle-boxi-anda shuttle on said shuttle-supporting means, a weft-end carrier, mean arranged to support said weft-end carrier, means arranged to sever a weft-end running from said weftend carrier to the fabric in the loom, and means arranged to discharge said weft end carrier to remove the severed weft end.

5. The combination with a loom, of a weft-end carrier, a weft-end of the fabric in the loom being attached to said weft-end carrier, means arranged to support said weftend carrier, means arranged to out such weftend between the fabric and said weftend carrier, and means arranged to discharge said weft-end carrier to remove the weft-end.

6. The combination with a shuttle having an open throat and a bobbin in such shuttle, of a weft-end carrier, the weft-end of said bobbin being attached to said carrier, means arranged to move said shuttle, means-arranged to support said weft-end carr1er 1n cooperative relation to said shuttle-moving means to draw the weft-end laterally lnto the throat of the shuttle in consequence of the movement of the shuttle, and means arranged to discharge said weft-end carrler.

7. The combination with a shuttle-support, of a shuttle arranged on said support and having an open throat, means arranged to conduct a bobbin toward said shuttle, a weft-end carrier, means arranged to cause said weft-end carrier to carry the weft-end of such bobbin to arrange such weft-end adjacent the throat of the shuttle, means arranged to move the bobbin into said shuttle, means arranged to move said shuttle to draw such Weft-end laterally into said throat, and means arranged to discharge said weft-end carrier.

8. A magazine comprising a plurality of tents arranged to detain the Weft-end carriers in the other said chutes, connections between said bobbin-detents and the corresponding carrier-detents for causing one to move in unison with the other to release a series of bobbins and a series of carriers simultaneously, and means controlled by the carriers in one chute for releasing the carriers and bobbins in other chutes.

10. A Weft-end carrier consisting of a. roller having a socket, a thread-engaging device carried by said roller and arranged to coact with the latter to clamp the Weftend and spring arranged in said socket, said thread-engaging device being arranged to receive thread-clamping stress from said spring.

11. A magazine comprising a. plurality of bobbinchutes, a plurality of chutes for Weft-end carriers v means arranged to engage the bobbins and Weft-end carriers respectively to restrain them from gravitating meters from their chutes, and means arranged to control the first means to discharge the bobbins and Weft-end carriers from their respective chutes consecutively.

12. A Weft-end carrier comprising a roller having a traction periphery and a thread- ;receiving cleft intersecting the latter, and clamping means carried by said roller and arranged to clamp the thread against an end of the latter.

13. A Weft-end carrier comprising a roller having a cylindric traction surface and frusto-conical end 7 faces, and clampingmeans carried by said roller and arranged to clamp a Weft-end against an end of the roller.

In testimony whereof l: have affixed my signature, in presence or two Witnesses.

VJlLLIAlti L. lVitnesses WALTER fireman ROBERT L. TANNER 

